Cultural Repatriation: Negotiation, Conflict Management, and Reconciliatory Diplomacy in Indonesia–Netherlands Relations
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.66778/RI.v08n01.01Keywords:
cultural repatriation, international diplomacy, conflict management, soft power, Indonesia-Netherlands relationsAbstract
The issue of repatriating colonial cultural objects from the Netherlands to Indonesia has gained momentum as part of efforts toward historical reconciliation, postcolonial justice, and complex cultural diplomacy. This study aims to analyze the mechanisms of diplomatic negotiation and the application of conflict management in the repatriation process, while assessing its implications for Indonesia–Netherlands bilateral relations. Using a descriptive qualitative approach with a case study design, this study utilizes text analysis through NVivo 15 on 20 international, national, and Dutch media articles published between 2019 and 2024, supplemented by triangulation of academic literature, UNESCO reports, and bilateral agreement archives. Data were selected using purposive sampling and analyzed through open, axial, and selective coding to generate main themes. The findings show that Interest-Based Negotiation and the Dual Concern Model facilitated a win-win compromise through gradual collection returns, while soft power through cultural diplomacy strengthened Indonesia's image as a global moral actor. The implication is that repatriation resolves ownership disputes and builds a new paradigm of reconciliatory diplomacy relevant to international relations theory and Indonesia's cultural diplomacy policy.
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